Baker, David P.

'96 MBA

Chief, Alexandria Police Department

Baker began his police career in 1970 when he joined the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. Although he retired in 1991, he was chosen to fill a vacant Deputy Chief position in the Alexandria Police Department where he then worked for sixteen years prior to his appointment as chief in September 2006.

Baker is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, and Police Executive Research Forum and Commission on Accreditation in Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. Baker currently sits on the Administration of Justice Advisory Committee for Mason headed by former U. S. Attorney General Edwin Meese.

When asked about his Mason degree, Baker said, “It helped tremendously with teambuilding, critical thinking, project management, risk taking at the organizational level and understanding of how people, processes and results connect within a modern and complex organizational structure.”

His advice to students and fellow alumni: “Stay focused on your goals! Know that anything is possible. Continue your education.”